Apparatus for supplying cut tobacco to a plurality of cigarette making machines



p 1, 1959 H. SCHLOSSMACHER APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING CUT TOBACCO TO A PLURALITY 0F CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed Sept. 18. 1957 .1 1 4 .t 1 m 2 S O 9. 0w t 2 u I72 we]? for m2 wmN m m mm mm ww WQ p 1,1959 H. SCHLOSSMACHER 2,902,141

APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING CUT TOBACCO TO A v PLURALITY 0F CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed Sept. 1a, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 JV; I 6 m n iziarweys Sept. 1, 1959 H. SCHLOSSMACHER 2,902,141

' APPARATUS FQR SUPPLYING CUT TOBACCO TO A PLURALITY OF CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Flled Sept 18, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jt'orn ya Qt-me.

HINES v 4 Sheet"s=-Sh'ee't 4 I We)? for a flizarzzeys H. SCHLOSSMACHER APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING CUT TOBACCO TO A PLURALITY OF CIGARETTE MAKING 'MAC Filed Sept. 18, 1957 Sept. 1, 1959 APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING CUT TOBACCO TO PLUgtALITY F CIGARETTE MAKING MA- Hubert Schlossmacher, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany,

assignor to Kurt Korber & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Berged-orf, Germany Application September 18, 1957, Serial No. 684,803

Claims priority, application Germany September 26, 1956 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-106) The invention relates to improvements in cigarette making machines and more particularly to an apparatus for supplying cut tobacco to a plurality of cigarette making machines.

The cut tobacco is supplied to the cigarette making machines by means of conveyors in cooperation with vibrating distributor devices, said vibrating distributor devices being preferably disposed underneath the delivery range of said conveyors. Installations of this type in which the cigarette making machines are supplied with the tobacco by means of reciprocating conveyors have the disadvantage that the tobacco can not be supplied in a uniform, even and loose condition.

Due to the reciprocating movement of the distributing device at right angles to the direction of the conveying means of the vibrating distributor, the charging of the machines is eifected at irregular intervals. A rotary rake has to be provided in order to level off the tobacco layer. If for any reason one of the cigarette machines has to be shut down, the charging of the respective section of the vibrating distributor, corresponding to said machine, will continue, and the tobacco des ignated for this machine will have to be continuously returned to the storage means.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for sup-plying cut tobacco to a plurality of cigarette making machines.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device operating in the direction of the vibrating distributor device, said conveying device comprising several separate tracks, the number of said tracks corresponding to the number of the cigarette making machines.

Another object of the present invention is the arrangement of said tracks in such a manner that each track can be individually shut off.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an upwardly sloping conveyor, which cooperates with a plurality of rotary rakes disposed in staggered relation along the climbing side of the conveyor for maintaining a constant level of the tobacco layer carried by said conveyor.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide clutch means between the common driving shaft actuating the conveyor device and the separate driving means of each track, for individually engaging or disengaging said tracks from the driving means.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary driving shaft operated by a motor over appropriate gear means and disposing the clutch means between said auxiliary driving shaft and individual driving means of each track.

One modification of the vibrating distributor device preferably comprises a plurality of chutes, one for each of said separate tracks of the conveyor device. The chutes are disposed underneath the discharge end of the conveyor device and supply the tobacco from the con- Unitcd StatesPatent O "ice veyor device to toothed rakes provided at the discharge end of the vibrating distributor device and above the charging openings of the cigarette making machines.

Another modification of the vibrating distributor device comprises a plurality of chutes divided into several sections which are disposed one after another in the longitudinal direction of the vibrating distributor. The sections of said chutes cooperating with the conveyor device being disposed at a level higher than the corresponding sections of the chutes which are provided at the discharge end of the vibrating distributor device. Said last named chute sections are hingedly connected to the vibrating distributor, so that same can be individually swung out of the conveying path. Auxiliary conveying means are provided underneath the vibrating distributor device for returning the tobacco from said swung out sections to the storage means.

If desired, the means for returning the tobacco from the chute sections of the vibrating distributor can be eliminated by application of appropriate measures such as, for instance, delay in switching off of the machine after disconnecting the corresponding rack of the conveyor device for a period of time necessary for processing the tobacco from the conveying means between the respective immobilized track and the respective cigarette making machine.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will readily become apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the apparatus for supplying tobacco to four cigarette making machines, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Fig. 2 shows a side view, partly in cross-section, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 in a larger scale.

Fig. 3 shows a side view similar to Fig. 2, but of another modification of the present invention and Fig. 4 shows a plan view similar to that of Fig. l of the apparatus according to Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, thereof, the reference numeral 1 represents the cut tobacco which is supplied, in known manner in the direction of the arrow A to a storage container 2 of the conveyor device 3. The tobacco 1 is carried from the container 2 in a relatively thin layer by the grippers 4 of the conveyor device 3 in the direction of the arrow B to the chutes 5 of the vibrating distributor 6. Rotary rakes 7 and 8 are arranged in staggered relation along the conveyor device 3 to remove the excessive tobacco from the conveyor device 3, thus providing a uniform tobacco layer 9 of a predetermined constant thickness on the conveyor 3. The tobacco removed by the rotary rakes '7 and 8 is returned to the storage container 2. Said rakes are operated over an intermediate pulley 10 by a motor 11.

The tobacco 1 is supplied by the conveyor device 3 to a rotary brush 12 actuated by the motor 11 and drops into a channel 13 and then into a vibrating chute 5 and from here to the toothed rakes 14. A guide device 15 is provided on the rakes 14 for pressing the tobacco into said rakes. Picker rollers 16 cooperating with the rakes 14 remove the tobacco 1 from the rakes 14 and convey it into the charging containers 17 of the pneumatic conveying means 18 provided for each cigarette making machine.

The chutes 5 of the vibrating distributor 6 are actuated by a vibrating system 19 which is driven by a crank gear 20 over a pulley 21 from a motor 22.

In accordance with the present invention, the conveyor device 3 is divided into four separate conveying tracks 23 each of which is driven by a driving roller 24. An auxiliary shaft 25 which is driven by a motor 26 over gears the motor 11. tion the vibrating distributor is provided with chutes di- 42 actuates the conveyor 3. Clutches 27 are provided between the driving rollers 24 and the auxiliary shaft, so that each of said tracks 23 can be individually disconnected from the driving shaft '25. The tobacco supply installation is enclosed by a housing 28.

The operation of the installation is as follows: Generally all four cigarette making machines are In operation and the clutches 27 connect the individual driving rollers 24; of the conveyor 3 to the auxiliary driving shaft 25. Thus, each track 23 will convey the tobacco 1 processed by the machine, stops the cigarette making machine. Figs. 3 and 4 show another modification of the tobacco supply device in accordance with the present invention; wherein equal parts are identified by same reference numerals.

In a manner similar to the modification shown in Figs.

'1 and 2, a conveyor device 3 is provided for conveying the tobacco 1 from the storage container 2 over channel 13 to the vibrating distributor 6. The tobacco layer 9 on said conveyor device 3 is maintained at a predetermined uniform level by means of rotary rakes 7 and 8 operated by In this modification of the present invenvided in longitudinal direction into two sections 29 and 30. The section 29 is disposed underneath the discharge end 'of conveyor 3 and is fastened by means 31 to the vibrating distributor 6 at a level higher than the section 30.

The chute section 30 is hingedly connected at 32 to the vibrating distributor 6 and can be swung out of the horizontal plane of the vibrating distributor 6. When the chute section 3th is in its operative, horizontal position the tobacco 1 can be thus conveyed from the conveyor device 3 to the toothed rake 14. At its end opposite to the end hinged at 32 the chute section 3% is connected to a forked bracket 34 by bolts 33. The brackets 34 are connected to rods 35 actuated by solenoids 36 and guided in their up and down movement by guides 37. The solenoids 36 are energized over the terminals 38 from an appropriate current source. A conveyor band 39 is provided underneath the end of the swinging chute section 30.

Fig. 4 shows the modification of the device according to Fig. 3 for four cigarette making machines. The conveyor device 3 comprises 4 separate tracks 23 which are operated by four corresponding driving rollers 24 which are driven by a shaft 40 of the motor 41. Similar to the modification shown in Figs. 1 and 2, clutches 27 are provided between each of the driving rollers 24 and the shaft 40 for releasably connecting said rollers 24 with the driving shaft 40.

The operation of this modification of the present invention is as follows:

When all four cigarette making machines are in operation, the clutches 27 connect the individual driving rollers 24 with the driving shaft 23. In a manner smiliar to the modification according to Figs. 1 and 2 the tobacco 1 is conveyed by each track 23 in the direction of arrows B of the chute section 30 in their upper, operating position.

If for any reason one of the cigarette making machines has to be shut down, the operator disconnects the tobacco supply meansfor said machine by disengaging theclutches 27. The circuit of the solenoids 36 will be interrupted and the chute section 30 swung out downwardly, and since the vibrating distributor continues to operate the tobacco *1 from the chute sections 29 and 30 will be moved to the conveyor 39 which will return the tobacco to the storage container 2. Since the track 23 corresponding to the shut-off cigarette making machine is immobilized, no further tobacco will be supplied to the corresponding chute sections 29 and 30 of the vibrating distributor device.

Although there has been shown and described a specific structure of an apparatus for supplying cut tobacco to a plurality of cigarette making machines, it is to be understood that the same has been described merely for the purpose of illustration and that changes and modifications may readily be made therein by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for supplying cut tobacco to a plurality of separate cigarette making machines, an inclined conveyor device for supplying the cut tobacco from a lower storage container to a vibrating tobacco distributor disposed below the upper discharge end of said inclined conveyor device, said vibrating distributor comprising a plurality of chutes for feeding the cut tobacco to the inlet openings of said separate cigarette making machines, the number of said chutes being equal to the number of said separate cigarette making machines, each of said chutes being divided into two separate chute sections arranged one after another in the longitudinal direction of the vibrating distributor, the chute sections disposed close to the discharge end of said inclined conveyor device being rigidly fastened to the vibrating distributor and disposed with their ends opposite to the ends at the discharge end of said inclined conveyor device substantially above the corresponding adjacent chute sections disposed close to the receiving ends of the cigarette making machines, said inclined conveyor device including a plurality of independently operable conveyor tracks disposed for movement in the direction of said vibrating distributor, the number of said tracks being equal to the number of chutes and cigarette making machines, means on said inclined conveyor device for individually stopping each of said tracks, the chute sections disposed close to the receiving ends of the cigarette making machines being hingedly connected to the vibrating distributor at their ends opposite the ends adjacent to the rigidly fastened chute sections for swinging movement in and out of cooperating engagement with said rigidly fastened chute sections, and electro-magnetic means for actuating the swingable chute sections in and out of cooperating engagement with the rigid chute sections in said vibrating distributor.

2. In an apparatus for supplying cut tobacco to a plurality of separate cigarette making machines, an inclined conveyor device for supplying cut tobacco from a lower storage container to a vibrating tobacco distributor disposed below the upper discharge end of said inclined conveyor device, said vibrating distributor comprising a plurality of chutes for feeding the cut tobacco to the inlet openings of said separate cigarette making machines, the number of said chutes being equal to the number of said separate cigarette making machines, each of said chutes being divided into two separate chute sections arranged one after another in the longitudinal direction of the vibrating distributor, the chute sections disposed close to the discharge end of said inclined conveyor device being rigidly fastened to the vibrating distributor and disposed with their ends opposite to the ends at the discharge end of said inclined conveyor device substantially above the corresponding adjacent chute sections disposed close to the receiving ends of the cigarette making machines, said inclined conveyor device including a plurality of independently operable conveyor tracks disposed for movement in the direction of said vibrating distributor, the

number of said tracks being equal to the number of chutes and cigarette making machines, means on said inclined conveyor device for individually stopping each of said tracks, the chute sections disposed close to the receiving ends of the cigarette making machines being 5 hingedly connected to the vibrating distributor at their ends opposite the ends adjacent to the rigidly fastened chute sections for swinging movement in and out of cooperating engagement with said rigidly fastened chute sections, electro-magnetic means for actuating the swing- 10 2,266,906

able chute sections in and out of cooperating engagement with the corresponding rigid chute sections in said vibrating distributor, and conveyor means disposed underneath the movable end of the swingable chute sections for receiving the cut tobacco from said swingable chute sections when the same are out of cooperating engagement with said rigid chute sections for returning the cut tobacco into the storage container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rapp Dec. 23, 1941 2,584,628 Skillman Feb. 5, 1952 2,811,241 Bogaty Oct. 29, 1957 

